Strauss Finds Form As England Enjoy Win and Flintoff Boost

A match that had begun with the best of intentions on both sides had degenerated into a come-one-come-all umpteen-a-side bun fight yesterday as it meandered towards a meaningless if ultimately successful conclusion for the visitors under a soporific Caribbean sun and in front of a few basking spectators. It could not have been much worse but at least the 217-run victory helped Andrew Strauss quickly erase the memory of his first-ball duck.

Despite a bit of unseemly slogging from the local lower order, the England XI comfortably won a match set up at lunchtime when Strauss declared his second innings closed at 265 for five, a lead of 438, scored against bowling so friendly it will soon have its own Facebook profile. It left two sessions for key bowlers such as Steve Harmison, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Monty Panesar to find some rhythm, and for Adil Rashid to further his education, it still seemed an exercise in counting down the clock. But apart from a second notable innings from Codville Rogers, this time 79, there was little resistance offered against Broad early on and later Panesar the game won with half an hour to spare. It was Broad of the quicker men who adapted most ably with his clever use of the slower ball that brought him the wicket of the robust opener Shane Jeffers for the second time in the match.

Of most interest to the technicians in the team though will be the observation that the Kookaburra ball which will be used throughout the tour began to reverse swing as early as the 10th over in the first St Kitts innings and around the same time yesterday if Broad's first ball, drifting in to trap Steve Liburd lbw, was any indication. This will be important knowledge when the Tests arrive for the ball tends to go soft quickly so the need to use it aggressively from the outset is multiplied.

There is always a self-indulgent element to game such as this and from the England perspective there were three centurions, with Strauss finding redemption by getting to three figures yesterday morning and then promptly turning on his heels and marching off as if this was Edwardian cricket and he had a pressing engagement at his club.

If this was an understandable retirement, then that of Alastair Cook at his overnight half century was less so, given his recent propensity for not getting beyond the sixties. He might have liked to feel the comfort of three figures again. Ian Bell meanwhile continued to do what he consistently seems to do, which is bat nicely for a while until his concentration dips. He made 52 yesterday before holing out to an indifferent off spinner, a middling effort that like his first innings was neither here nor there.

No greater excitement was generated than that amongst the small band of England fans, here on holiday or from the cruise ship in dock, who congregated in front of the pavilion and persuaded Andrew Flintoff down to pose for happy snaps. All perfectly affable of course, and indicative that he is not unduly worried about the side twinge that necessitated Tuesday's four-hour "precautionary" round trip to Jamaica for an MRI scan.

The results were sent to England for analysis, the conclusion being that there was little of concern. Whether this means he will be fit to play in the first Test at Sabina Park on 4 February is another matter. He will now be expected to bust a boiler in tomorrow's game to show that he can stand up to the rigors of a Test match. But if the niggle was only sufficient for him to be taking particular care, the medical team will be mindful that a similar if more serious strain kept him out of the New Zealand series and the first Test against South Africa last summer.

There was an all clear passed on Owais Shah too, whose scratched retina was healed enough for him to take the field and perch at second slip for the new ball.